Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Chile
Chile: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 4.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Chile, 1974–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education as a share of gdp in Chile is 4.9%, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and up 20.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Chile peaked at 5.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 1990.
Chile ranks 67th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Chile, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 3.7% | — |
| 1975 | 3.5% | -4.3% |
| 1978 | 3.0% | -14.5% |
| 1979 | 3.4% | +13.8% |
| 1980 | 4.1% | +21.3% |
| 1981 | 4.8% | +16.4% |
| 1987 | 2.8% | -42.4% |
| 1990 | 2.2% | -19.7% |
| 1993 | 2.4% | +5.5% |
| 1994 | 2.5% | +5.9% |
| 1995 | 2.6% | +2.4% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | +8.8% |
| 1997 | 3.0% | +7.5% |
| 1998 | 3.3% | +11.3% |
| 1999 | 3.7% | +11.6% |
| 2000 | 3.8% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 4.0% | +7.8% |
| 2003 | 3.9% | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 3.5% | -9.6% |
| 2005 | 3.3% | -7.4% |
| 2006 | 3.0% | -7.3% |
| 2007 | 3.2% | +6.3% |
| 2008 | 3.8% | +17.3% |
| 2009 | 4.3% | +12.2% |
| 2010 | 4.2% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 4.1% | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 4.5% | +12.0% |
| 2014 | 4.8% | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 4.9% | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 5.4% | +9.4% |
| 2017 | 5.4% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 5.5% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 5.6% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 5.6% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 5.0% | -11.1% |
| 2022 | 4.9% | -1.8% |
Chile compared with similar countries
- Chile's 4.9% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.1× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Chile's 4.9% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4.1%, 1.2× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.4% | 3.0% | 3.7% | 4 |
| 1980s | 3.9% | 2.8% | 4.8% | 3 |
| 1990s | 2.8% | 2.2% | 3.7% | 8 |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 3.0% | 4.3% | 9 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 4.1% | 5.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 5.2% | 4.9% | 5.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Chile
- 64 Belarus 5.0% compare
- 65 Sao Tome and Principe 5.0% compare
- 66 Argentina 5.0% compare
- 68 Kazakhstan 4.9% compare
- 69 Switzerland 4.9% compare
- 70 Canada 4.8% compare
More education data for Chile
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 96,048 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 21,633 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 280,113 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 264,101 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.63 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.49 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -2.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0754 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Chile?
- Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Chile was 4.9% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Chile?
- The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Chile?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 1990.
- How does Chile rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
- Chile ranks 67th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Chile?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Chile data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.